As it approaches Thanksgiving in
Jarrett Creek, Texas located about 30 miles west of Bryan in South Texas, something
strange is going on. Dogs of various types are vanishing from the property of
various residents. What seemed to be an isolated event here and there seems to
be adding up to several cases. Police Chief Samuel Craddock assumed, as did
most folks at first, that the dogs had just run off. Now he thinks a person or
persons unknown might be taking the dogs. Whether they are being taken as bait
to train dogs for dog fighting, to be sold for medical experimentation, or some
other situation does not bode well for the missing dogs and Chief Craddock is looking
into the matter.
Though there is a far more pressing
issue that has to be dealt with first. Thanks to Loretta and her morning delivery
of cinnamon rolls, something that Craddock looks forward to though it does not
happen nearly as often as it used to, he knows that Doctor Lewis Wilkins is
missing. He and his wife, Margaret, live out on the far side of the lake. The
local grapevine reports, via Loretta, that his wife has been calling around to
various folks they know to see if they know where her husband is as he didn’t
make it home the previous night.
It is not long before the wife, Margaret
Wilkins, calls Chief Craddock who heads over to her home. Her house is over on
the west side of the lake. Craddock realizes on his arrival that the house has
a troubled history. So too do the Wilkins. It isn’t long before the reason he
never made it home becomes obvious and the talk of the town. H
A Reckoning In The Back Country by Terry Shames is the seventh book in
the series and another excellent read from start to finish. Author Terry Shames
brings the world of Jarret Creek alive in the reader’s imagination from the
first paragraph. Unlike many series, the characters major and minor, evolve
over time as hopefully those of us in the real world do. Theoretically at
least, here in the real world, one should learn from mistakes on the past. That
same concept is present in this series and makes the characters all the more
real to the reader.
Rich and varied dialogue, intriguing
and complicated characters, and multiple mysteries are always present in this
series and are again at work in A Reckoning In The Back Country.
While it would be best to read them in order starting with A Killing At Cotton Hill
one could start here. Or almost as easily start with the most recently
published book before this one, An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock, as
it is a prequel to the series.
No matter where you start, this is an
excellent series well worth your time and highly recommended.
For another perspective on the book
make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s review
from earlier this month.
The
series in order of publication and review:
A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 1/11/14)
The Last Death
Of Jack Harbin: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 1/25/14)
Dead Broke In
Jarret Creek: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 4/9/15)
A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Cradock Mystery (reviewed 4/22/15)
The Necessary
Murder Of Nonie Blake: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 4/19/16)
An
Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel (reviewed February 6, 2017)
A
Reckoning In The Back Country: A Samuel Craddock Mystery
Terry
Shames
Seventh
Street Books
January
2018
ISBN# 978-1-63388-367-3
Paperback
(also available in eBook format)
283
Pages
$15.95
Material supplied by the Dallas
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
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